Spreader bar and tie rod arrangement for concrete wall forms



Feb. 2, 1965 F. G. PAULI, JR 3,167,342

SPREADER BAR AND TIE ROD ARRANGEMENT FOR CONCRETE WALL FORMS Filed June6, 1963 le 28 I6 I l/ll/llll United States Patent() Frank G. Pauli, Jr.,Northville, Mich, assignor to Kwik Lock Forms (30., Plymouth, Mich, acorporation of Michigan 1 Filed June 6, 1963, Ser. No. 286,641 8 Claims.(Cl. 25-131) This invention relates to forms for pouring concrete wallsand has to do particularly with a tie rod and spacer bar arrangement forretaining such wall forms in fixed spaced apart relation.

It is an object of this invention to provide a tie rod and spacer bararrangement of the type described which is simple to assemble and whichis adapted to be used with wall forms reinforced with wood walers asdistinguished from metal walers.

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a pair of wall forms held infixed spaced apart relation by means of the tie rod and spacer bar ofthis invention.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the arrangement shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the in the arrangement.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the spreader oar according to theinvention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view in the arrangement. I

FIG. 7 is an end View of the tie pin shown in FIG. 6.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated a pair of wall forms11) secured together in spaced relation with the tie rod and spacer barof the present invention. Each wall form comprises a panel 12 formed ofplywood or the like provided with wood reinforcements 14 around itsedges and also intermediate the edges of the panel depending'on the sizeof the panel. The reinforcements 14 are preferably and usually pieces of2 x 4 lumber. The panels 12 are formed at regular intervals with holes16 therethrough which, when the panels are erected in opposed spacedrelation, are adapted to be aligned in a direction transversely of theconcrete wall to be formed between the wall forms.

In erecting these wall forms, a spreader bar 18 is engaged with each ofthe holes 16. As is shown in FIG. 5, each spreader bar 18 comprises ametal strap which is curved in cross section as indicated at 20. At oneend, the strap is provided with a pair of depending flanges 22 which arespaced apart in a direction lengthwiseof bar 18 a distance slightlygreater than the thickness of the wall panels 12. Flanges 22 can bewelded or otherwise attached to one end of spacer bar 18. Flanges 22have rounded lower edges 24- and the overall height of these flanges issuch as to permit the end of the spreader bar to be inserted through theopenings 16 and then pushed downwardly to engage the flanges with thelower edges. of the holes 16. Adjacent the outer end of spreader bar 18,a rectangular opening 26 is formed therein at a predetermined distancefrom the flanges 22 for a reason which will presently become apparent.The curvature in transverse section of the spreader bar 18 correspondsgenerally with the diameter of the holes 16 so that the spreader barswill seat rather snugly in the holes 16. However, the arcuate extent ofthe spreader bar 18 is relatively short as compared to the circumferenceof the hole 16. Note FIG. 3, for example.

As is customary, a tie rod 28 is extended through the aligned openings16 in the opposed wall forms. Tie rods 28 have a length substantiallygreater than the distance along the line 3-3 in tie rod used of the tiep-in employed between the outermost edges of the two wall forms 10. Tierods 28 taper in length from one end to the other. For example, onestandard tie rod has a diameter of 6" at the large end and at the smallend. With tie rods of these dimensions, the holes 16 in panels 12 arepreferably about I" in diameter. with an axially elongated hole 30 atthe smaller end and a plurality of axially elongated holes 32adjacent'the larger end of the tie rod.

After the tie rods are extended through the aligned holes in the wallforms and seated in spreader bars 18 with their opposite ends projectingoutwardly beyond the outer faces of the wall forms as illustrated inFIG. 1, wood reinforcing walers 34 are arranged thereon. The walers 34preferably comprise two 2 x 4s 36 which are secured together in spacedrelation by spacer blocks 38. Walers 34 are engaged over the ends of thetie rods 28 as illustrated. The wall to be poured will have a thicknesscorresponding to one of several standard thicknesses. In any event, whenthe wall panels 12 are spaced apart a distance corresponding to thestandard thickness of the wall to be poured and the hole 30 at thesmaller end of tie rod 28 is aligned vertically with the hole 26 in oneof the spreader bars 18, the hole 26 in the other spreader bar 18 willbe aligned vertically with one of the holes 32 adjacent the larger endof tie rod 28. Speaking more accurately, the axially outer ends of theholes 26 in spreader bars 18 will be located inwardly in a directiontoward the wall panels 12 with respect to the axially outer ends of thealigned holes 32 in the tie rod 28.

The whole assembly of wall forms 10, walers 34, tie rod 28 and spreaderbars 18 is then locked in rigid assembled relation by means of tie pins10. Each tie pin, as is best illustrated in FIG. 7, comprises a shortlength of structural steel channel having a web portion 42 and a pair oflegs or flanges 44. A wedge 46 is welded to the inner side of web 42centrally between legs 44. A substantial portion of web 42 is notched orcut out as at 48 so that the angled edge 50 of wedge 46 overlies theopening 48 in the tie'pin. The tip 52 of wedge 69 is preferablycoplana-r with the outer face of web 42 as is shown in FIG. 1. It willbe noted that the opening 48 has a vwidth less than the distance betweenthe inner faces of legs 44 so as to present ledges 54 along the innerside of these legs adjacent the opening 48. As a practical matter, thewidth of opening 48 is only slightly Wider than the width of spacer bars18 so that the tie pin can straddle the spacer bars. To secure theassembly together so that the wall forms will be held rigidly in spacedapart relation, the tie pins 49 are driven downwardly against the outeredges of walers 34 so that the wedge member 46 is extended through thealigned openings in the spacer bars 18 and the opposite ends of the tierods 28. It will be appreciated that as the tie pins 40 are drivendownwardly, the angled edge 59 of the wedge member 46 engages the outerends of the elongated openings in the spreaderbars 18 and tie rods 23 soas to rigidly interconnect the two spacer bars 18 with each tie rod 28and by reason of the flanges 22 on the spreader bars 18, to rigidlyinterconnect each wall form 10 with the tie bars. Furthermore, it willbe appreciated that by forming the tie pins 40 as channel-shapedmembers, these tie pins are relatively strong and furthermore engage theouter edges of the 2 x 4 walers 34 with broad flat faces. Thus, there isnot too great a tendency for the tie pins 40 to dig into and gouge theend faces of the 2 x 4s 36 of walers 34.

I claim:

1. In a concrete wall form construction comprising a pair of spacedapart opposed wall forms which define the opposite faces of the concretewall poured therebetween, the wall forms comprising panels having rein-Tie rods 28 are provided e) forcernents secured to the outer facesthereof and having transversely aligned openings therein, means forretaining the Wall'forms in fixed spaced apart relation comprising posedpanels, said tie rod extending transversely through the panels andoutwardly beyond the reinforcements on the Wall forms, said tie rodhaving openings therethrough -a tie rod extending through alignedopenings in the op: I

spreader bars extending outwardly of the panels beyond saidreinforcements, one adjacent each of the opposite endsof the tie rod,each spreader bar having an opening therein registering with an openingin the end portion 5. A spreader bar for use with wall forms comprisinga metal strap which is of arctlate configuration in cross section, saidstrap having an axially elongated opening thereinadj-acent one end ofthestrap, theflopposite end of the strap having a pair ofaxially spacedflanges depending therefrom. 7 7 1 5 6. A spreader bar as called forjinclaim 5 wherein the free ends of said ilangesarearcuately shaped.,

' 7. The. combination called for in claim 1, wherein the spreader barcomprises a. strap having a pair of trans- Versely extending legs atoneendthereof spaced longitudinally of the'strap and projecting toone sideof the.

strap to form with the end portionof'the strap a U-shaped hook which isadapted to be inserted through the openof the tie tlOd, said registeringopenings lying outwardly beyond the plane of said reinforeernentsandwedge means driventhroiugh said registering openings at each end of atone end thereof engaging the panel, the legs of said ing in the panel,so that the legs of the strap embrace and straddle the opposite faces'ofthe panel.

8. Thecombination called for in claim 7, wherein the length of theend-most leg on the strap is approximately 7 equal to the diameter ofthe hole in the panel.

20- spreader bar is fashioned with a U-shaped hookportion U-shaped hookportion being spaced apart approximately the thickness" of the panel soas to straddle and embrace the opposite faces of the panel at saidopening.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein each spacer bar isarcuately dished in transverse section and radius of the dishedportionof'the tie rod corresponds generally with the radius of the holeformed in the. panel.

References Cited in the file of this-patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,437,323 McClure a Not .28, 1922 1,782,897 Hudgin .Q NOV. 25, 19302,243,346 Kinninger May 27, 1941 2,501,412 Schaefer Mar. 21, 19502,981,998 Williams May 2, 1961 V FOREIGN PATENTS I 7 486,082 Canada Aug.26, 1952 504,741 I Germany. Aug. 7,

1. IN A CONCRETE WALL FORM CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACEDAPART OPPOSED WALL FORMES WHICH DEFINE THE OPPOSITE FACES OF THECONCRETE WALL POURED THEREBETWEEN, THE WALL FORMS COMPRISING PANELSHAVING REINFORCEMENTS SECURED TO THE OUTER FACES THEREOF AND HAVINGTRANSVERSELY ALIGNED OPENINGS THEREIN, MEANS FOR RETAINING THE WALLFORMS IN FIXED SPACED APART RELATION COMPRISING A TIE ROD EXTENDINGTHROUGH ALIGNED OPENINGS IN THE OPPOSED PANELS, SAID TIE ROD EXTENDINGTRANSVERSELY THROUGH THE PANELS AND OUTWARDLY BEYOND THE REINFORCEMENTSON THE WALL FORMS, SAID TIE ROD HAIVNG OPENINGS THERETHROUGH IN THE ENDPORTIONS THEREOF BEYOND THE REINFORCEMENTS, A PAIR OF SPREADER BARS,EACH SPREADER BAR HAVING ONE END THEREOF HOOKED TO THE PANEL AT SAIDOPENING AND LOCKED THERETO AGAINST MOVEMENT TRANSVERSLY OF THE PANEL,SAID SPREADER BARS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OF THE PANELS BEYOND SAIDREINFORCEMENTS, ONE ADJACENT EACH OF THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE TIE ROD,EACH SPREADER BAR HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN REGISTERING WITH AN OPENINGIN THE END PORTION OF THE TIE ROD, SAID REGISTERING OPENINGS LYINGOUTWARDLY BEYOND THE PLANE OF SAID REINFORCEMENTS AND WEDGE MEANS DRIVENTHROUGH SAID REGISTERING OPENINGS AT EACH END OF THE TIE ROD ANDENGAGING SAID REINFORCEMENTS.